protestors that keeps their bellies well-fed and keeps their dreams alive. pizza pulleys. tonight's moment of geek. that does it for us tonight and he'll see you weekend morning at 8:00 eastern. this weekend i welcome dan savidge to talk about guy marriage in washington. right now, the syrian military is prepared to use nerve weapons against its own people. will this guy give that order? new details ahead. president obama remains firm that the wealthy must pay more. a few republicans are joining him. pipa visits sister kate. the $8 million man and nasa's high res look at you on our planet earth. good morning, everyone.

i'm lynn berry. this week president obama puts syrian leader bahsar al assad on notice about the use of chemical weapons. and now we know why. pentagon sources tell nbc news that syria is preparing chemical weapons for the possible use against the military people in the form of aerial bombs. jim miklaszewski reports. >> reporter: as the fighting grows more intense and syrian rebels close in on damascus, the syrian regime has turned increasingly desperate. u.s. officials tell nbc news the syrian military loaded the precursor chemicals for sarn nerve gas into aerial bombs. that could be dropped from dozens of syrian fighter bombers. this week u.s. intelligence detected a flurry of activity at chemical weapons sites like this one. while u.s. officials confirm the precursor chemicals are loaded, they must still be mixed

together to create the deadly sarin gas. the development shook the world. president obama and secretary of state hillary clinton issued strong warnings to syria's president assad that there would be serious consequences if he used chemical weapons. >> it's the point of no return. they're going to lose any sort of backing that they had from the chinese and russians in terms of blocking the u.n. vote. and it's my -- it's a suicide move. >> reporter: iraq's saddam hussein killed 5,000 kurds with a sarin gas attack in 1988. jim miklaszewski, nbc news, pentagon. back here at home, fiscal cliff negotiations in washington are still up in the air. most lawmakers have gone home for a long weekend break. this as timothy geithner says the obama administration is willing to go over the fiscal cliff. nbc's tracie potts joins us live from washington with an update. good morning to you. >> reporter: let's start with

geithner. he told cnbc that instead of continuing tax breaks for the wealthy, the obama administration is willing to go over this cliff which means they're willing to let your taxes go up and unemployment checks go away massive spending cuts happen if the pentagon instead of continuing the tax breaks for the wealthy. now there's been very little progress here on chiapitol hill which is why so many have gone home. we know that president obama and john boehner spoke by phone. republican sources telling us they had a conversation yesterday. we don't have a readout on what that was about. we don't know that if any meetings have been scheduled. but any small sign of progress is welcome here on capitol hill. now with so many lawmakers headed home and likely to face the ire of their constituents, we saw one protester in baltimore yesterday over social security. there are a few left. today there's a joint economic committee hearing. they're going to hear from a top economist not only about the

jobs numbers coming out tomorrow but also about what can be done to avoid this issue at the end of the year. >> tracie potts for us in washington. thank you. last night on the ed show, steny hoyer explains why he thinks the debt ceiling vote should be taken off the table. >> the debt ceiling is a phone y vote, frankly. and from time to time democrats have made it an item that they demagogue down and the republicans have demagogued on it, as well. the debt limit is a recognition of what we already spent, what we already decided to do. and it's irresponsible for us to say that the most credit worthy nation is not going to pay its bills. i would hope speaker boehner would take this off the table. >> be sure to watch "the ed show" on msnbc. egypt's state envelope tigs is vorting five people were killed in overnight clashes between supporters and opponents

of president morsi. morsi assumed near absolute powers. the opposition is vowing more protests later today. so this morning two australian radio hosts are apologizing for a prank call that is getting world wild attention. it's a head scratcher. the hospital where britain's duchess kate is being treated for acute morning sickness is where this all happened. nbc's annabelle roberts is live with the latest on this including her latest visitors. >> reporter: the latest on the condition, let's start with that. she's resting and feeiling better. she'll remain in the hospital for a little longer. her husband william has been add her bedside every day, pippa went last night and also her mother carol. this is what got everyone talking is that phone call. two australian radio deejays

posed as the queen and prince charles and rang the hospital which is one of the most exclusive hospitals in the country. they were put through to the nurse who allegedly gave them an update on kate's condition. have a listen. >> hello, good morning. >> hello there. can i please speak to kate, please, my granddaughter. >> yes, hold on. >> thank you. kate my darling, are through? >> how may i help you? >> i'm wanting to talk to my granddaughter kate. >> while the hospital has, of course, apologized and stressed given out the information was already in the public. the radio station also apologized adding that the presenters were a little bit surprised to be put through given their accents were so awful. lynn. >> put through at all, regardless of the 5:00 accident. annabelle, thank you. now here's your first look at this morning's "dish of

scrambled politics." marco rubio of florida was asked about the question of the best leadership in washington, d.c. instead of an official pop li politician, he named robert griffin iii. morris said that mitt romney would win in a landslide with 325 electoral votes. he also made the prediction that president obama might pull out of the race. a new "washington post"/abc news poll said that hillary clinton would be approved for president obama. and another path said that michelle obama would do well. right now she leads republican senator mark kirk of illinois 51-40%. so a new congressional report shows wasteful spending of tax money that was intended

for counter-terrorism purposes, some of the worst examples, the homeland security department paid for a hog catcher in texas. a fish tank and an underwater robot in a midwest city with no major rivers or lakes nearby. former republican senator allen simpson has a message, use the tools to sign up people for the can kicks back campaign to avoid the fiscal cliff and cut the national debt. the 81-year-old simpson went "gangnam style" to make his point. ♪ >> i have a bum knee. horse, horse. ride the horse. >> senator, thank you for that. and that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." and now for a look at your national weather, let's turn to bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast.

>> the best part is the underwater robot for a place that doesn't have water. >> maybe it's a pool. >> yes. >> and they need to inspect it. >> counter-terrorism measures in the backyard. you never know. good morning, everyone. getting out the door this morning, it's very cold up in new england. tell you what, the lack of snow is really becoming a slightly alarming especially if you have any interest in snowy weather recreation or skiing or ice skating or maybe you like to go snowmobiling. the northern half of the country is sparse. 7% of the country has snow cover. most of that is the high elevations in the rockies and northern rockies. it's about as low as it gets. last year at this time we had 20% of the country covered with snow. this shows you we're well behind schedule to build up that snow pack. we're not doing it this morning in the northern plains. plenty warm there. the cold wind chills are in place in new england, especially north in areas of providence, hartford, connecticut, all the way up through boston. temperatures this morning all the way down to d.c., about 25

degrees colder. so that cold front that went through yesterday has really ushered in a nice chilly air mass this morning. be prepared when you step outside for that. the only areas with snow or rain, minnesota, light rain. maybe snow showers in northern wisconsin. that's not going to accumulate either. so the forecast for today, it's a very cold start to your day in new england. it will improve a little bit this afternoon. sprinkles and showers in florida. for the most part, a nice, quiet thursday around the country. a rainy friday for a lot of us. good news in the fight against cancer. and that cup of starbucks may be a little easier to find. plus, billionaire bill mcafee is in police custody. what did he know about the murder of his neighbor and why was he fleeing police for three weeks? you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ if it wasn't for you

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john mcafee, the eccentric typhoon has been arrested in guatemala for entering the country illegally. he has requested asylum. he's been a fugitive after the murder of his neighbor in november. in the philippines, the death toll from that powerful typhoon increased to 350 and almost 400 people are still missing. that number will go even higher. and in new york city, a homeless man is facing charges of second-degree murder in the death of a man who was pushed right in front of an on coming subway train. davis is being held without bail and due back in court on tuesday. well what goes up must come down. that is not what apple investors want to hear. the iphone maker stock continued to fall in extended trading after plunging more than 6% in the regular session for the worst single day decline since

2008. apple is now down more than 20% since the september peak. meanwhile, citigroup shot up on news of the company's cost cutting measures that will slash 11,000 jobs. starbucks is expanding with plans to open 3,000 new cafes in u.s., mexico and canada. a new government commission report finds that exporting the nation's new found surplus of natural gas would do the nation good citing the overall economic boost would outweigh higher domestic prices. and economics team at virginia's lynchburg college crunched the numbers and found if the nation goes over the fiscal cliff, high income californians would beat out new yorkers and hawaiians for the potential highest tax rate at nearly 52%. forbes is out with the 2012 most powerful people list. president obama held on to the top spot for a second year. the pope climbed two notches from last year. he is in fifth place.

facebook's ceo mark zuckerburg went to number 25. former president clinton held on to number 50. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams sit down with tim cook. by the way, he's number 35 on the forbes list. >> finally, no, this is no joke. pizza hut in canada sent more than 100 bottles of pizza cented perfume to facebook fans. the fragrance boasts freshly baked hand tossed dough. some optimistic news in the fight against breast cancer. women who took the common estrogen blocking drug tamoxofin cut the chance of getting breast cancer in half. coming up, corey booker lives on food stamps. the nfl steps in with a million dollars for jovan belcher's orphan daughter and high

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if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you currently have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto®, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver or bleeding problems. ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. here's your "first look" at other news going on. a relationship was legitimatized a short while ago as the clock struck 12:00 at west, pete peterson and jane became first

same sex couple to receive a marriage license in the ever green state. a fitting honor for the couple. they were featured in the ad campaign to legalize same sex marriage. newark mayor in new jersey corey booker is gearing up for his food stamp challenge. it starts tuesday. booker is going to be on a steady diet of beans and vegetables and whatever else he can afford living on $30 worth of food stamps for the week. the mayor took on the challenge after getting into a debate with one of his twitter followers. and finally, just north of the border, a few military vets suited up for team usa at the world sledge hockey challenge despite the inspiring stories of lost limbs and sacrifice, it was team canada that beat the americans 2-1. however, team usa did earn enough wins for a spot in the semifinals. in sports, we're going to tip off in the nba. bobcats and knicks with three seconds left, new york's j.r. smith took the inbound pass and hit a fallaway jumper from the left. a dramatic buzzer beater for a

100-98 win in char lot. kobe bryant is the only fifth player in league history to score over 30,000 points. he's the youngest player to reach that milestone as los angeles beat new orleans. andre johnson of the houston texans took a dozen at risk kids on a shopping spree at toys "r" us. the final bill of almost $20,000 was paid for by johnson's charitable foundation. the infant daughter of jovan belcher of the kansas city chiefs will collect at least $1 million from the nfl's surviving child benefit. belcher killed the baby's mother and then himself on saturday. for now disgraced cyclist lance armstrong is holding on to his olympic bronze medal. the olympic committee postponed a decision to strip armstrong of the medal but is expected to do so. and the fourth tennis match in london on saturday between

two former rivals at wimbledon, they turned out to play mini tennis on ice near the national history museum to promote the event. baby ping-pong. and now for a look at your weather, here is bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning. >> i wouldn't trust you to do that. >> i know. you'd go for the overhead shot, right? >> yes. right between the eyes. you know me very well. >> you have good tennis skills, too. no tennis in new england today unless you're indoors. wind chills are getting your attention. 14 in albany. 19 in hartford. wind chills in the teens all the way through vermont and new hampshire and maine. it's one of the days where you have to grab all the winter gear. d.c. to philadelphia, it's not nice. temperatures with the wind chill are only in the low to mid 20s. as far as what we'll deal with today, the sun will be out. this is improving over the next couple days. we're going in the opposite direction. after one sunny day in new england, we're going to get cloudy and a chance of rain four days in a row.

forecast for new york city, it warms up. it's not going to rain the whole entire time. there will be a chance of rain each and every day with periods of rain all the way through monday. so today is not bad, lynn. that rain will develop on friday and spread from there. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. just ahead, this year's grammy nominees and the cbs head honcho finally weighs in on the angust. jones drama. and he may lavish living in his video "gangnam style" but we'll tell you why he is living the high life. rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind.

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senator mccain? >> thank you very much, mr. secretary. >> a little good natured ripping. i'm sure kerry had a snappy come back. >> thank you very much, mr. president. bam! ba-bam! two things -- one, solid, concise joke. two, little disproportionate. >> all right. it's time for some entertainment news. one song is apparently all it takes to become a millionaire. let's start thinking of one, bill. "gangnam style" has made over $8 million for that one song.

>> for the dancing or song? >> both. >> the world will have to wait to see if he'll become a one hit wonder. the nominees for the 55th annual grammy awards are revealed. the top contenders includes kanye west, frank ocean and jay z. the black peas and jack white. you can google and find out who they are. >> i know who jack white is. >> jazz pianist dave brubeck died at the age of 91. they put out "take five" one of the best-selling jazz songs of all time. les munves weighed in on that angust. jones comment. he says compared to charlie sheen this is a piece of cake. he added, by the way, jones is still collecting his $300,000 a week paycheck. >> it's doing great in the ratings. >> it has buzz there. any publicity is good publicity. finally, jimmy fallon has done

it again. he and mariah carey decided to get everyone in the christmas spirit. ♪ >> that just reminded me, i have to get myself my christmas sweater this year. >> i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned, "way too early" starts right now. it took us three months to establish trust. these guys don't trust each other. they don't even trust each other in their own party. we have leaders who are people behind them with a shift hoping they can get their job the next go around. durbin has someone looking over their back. every time they deal and over on